潮汕铁路是中国近代史上第一条由华侨投资兴建的纯商办铁路，由祖籍梅县的印尼华侨张煜南、张鸿南兄弟于 1903 年筹建，1904 年动工，1906 年建成通车，主线从汕头至潮安全长 39 公里，后延伸至意溪总长 42.1 公里，由詹天佑勘测设计，沿途设 10 个站点，总投资约 325 万银元。铁路的开通大大缩短了汕头与潮州之间的通行时间，将原先韩江水路需要的十几个小时缩短为一小时二十分钟左右，潮汕地区由此迈入火车时代。1939 年抗日战争期间，为抵御日军侵略，潮汕铁路被全线拆除，铁路本身虽存在仅三十三年，却深深融入了潮汕地区的社会生活与革命历史。
在潮汕铁路相关的历史遗存中，位于汕头市金平区火车路 18 号的总务处车务处旧址尤为珍贵，这是目前潮汕铁路在汕头市区唯一得以保留的建筑遗址。该建筑原为潮汕铁路客货运列车调度及票务办公楼，总用地面积约 1549 平方米，主体建筑面积约 680 平方米。铁路拆除后，这座老建筑逐渐荒废，一度埋没于周边的民居和榕树丛中，直到 2019 年前后，汕头一群历史爱好者通过海外档案比对，才确认了它的真实身份。近年来，按照「尊重历史、修旧如旧」的原则，该旧址经过了精心的抢救性修缮和保护性活化，如今已成为一座开放式的纪念公园，内设展陈空间向公众讲述潮汕铁路的历史，也成为许多市民和游客探寻城市文脉的新地标。
The Chaoshan Railway was the first purely commercial railway in modern Chinese history, funded and constructed by overseas Chinese. It was initiated in 1903 by the Indonesian Chinese brothers Zhang Yunan and Zhang Hongnan, both originally from Meixian County. Construction began in 1904 and was completed in 1906. The main line ran from Shantou to Chao'an, with a total length of 39 kilometers, later extended to 42.1 kilometers at Yixi. Surveyed and designed by Zhan Tianyou, the railway had ten stations along the route, with a total investment of approximately 3.25 million silver dollars. The opening of the railway significantly reduced travel time between Shantou and Chaozhou, cutting the original 10-plus-hour journey along the Han River waterway to about one hour and twenty minutes, ushering the Chaoshan region into the era of trains. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in 1939, the Chaoshan Railway was entirely dismantled to resist Japanese invasion. Although the railway itself existed for only 33 years, it became deeply embedded in the social life and revolutionary history of the Chaoshan region.
Among the historical remnants of the Chaoshan Railway, the former General Affairs and Traffic Office at No. 18 Huoche Road in Jinping District, Shantou, is particularly precious. It is the only surviving architectural relic of the Chaoshan Railway within Shantou's urban area. Originally serving as the dispatch and ticketing office for passenger and freight trains, the building occupies a total land area of approximately 1,549 square meters, with a main building area of about 680 square meters. After the railway was dismantled, this old building gradually fell into disrepair, eventually becoming obscured by surrounding residential houses and banyan trees. It was not until around 2019 that a group of Shantou history enthusiasts, through comparisons with overseas archives, confirmed its true identity. In recent years, following the principle of "respecting history and restoring the old as it was," the site has undergone meticulous rescue restoration and protective revitalization. It has now been transformed into an open memorial park, featuring exhibition spaces that narrate the history of the Chaoshan Railway to the public. It has also become a new landmark for many citizens and tourists to explore the cultural heritage of the city.